Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so excited when I heard Lexi had written a book and super excited when I got the ARC. I knew this book would be hilarious because Lexi's TikTok always makes me laugh and boy was I right!

Lexi is married to a former hockey player and gives true insight into the lives of hockey WAGS. She truly understands professional hockey culture and you can tell when you read her book. She includes antecdotes only someone on the inside would know, such as what the players use to stay energized during games (mustard?) and all of their weird superstitions. I'm not sure how I'll read another hockey romance from a different author now that I've read Lexi's as her insight made it truly realistic.

This is one of the funniest romcoms I've read in a long time. I love a quirky, nontraditional FMC and Lucy fits the bill. She is an aspiring tattoo artist who lives in a grungy apartment with her cat and talks about going to the Warped Tour. Lucy's and her friends' antics had me cackling throughout the book.

Jaylen is a golden retriever MMC to Lucy's black cat persona. However, there's more than meets the eye with Jaylen as he struggles with his mental health after losing one of his best friends (off page). The story deals with a lot of serious issues and I loved how Lexi treated each characters' journey with care and sensitivity.

This book had me feeling all the feels. It was spicy and sweet. Loving and poignant. Funny and touching. I love Lexi's writing style, humor, wit, and characters. I look forward to reading everything she writes in the future.

i really enjoyed lucy and jaylen’s story. i have been so excited for this book since it was announced. i love lexi lafleur brown’s social media presence and what she brings to the book world. i was not disappointed by the hockey knowledge, LGBTQ+ representation, or the focus on mental health. i laughed out loud multiple times, loved the humor and how it was placed. i only wish there were more details/explanations on some of the background. some familial ties felt glossed over, i could have read another 100 pages about lucy and jaylen and their lives.

if you like sports romance, i highly recommend!

This is one of the first hockey romances I've read - and definitely the first written by a real hockey WAG!
Even if I didn't know Lexi LaFleur Brown was a hockey player herself & her husband is a former NHL player, I would know she was at least a real hockey fan from the way she wrote the scenes were JJ is playing.

I loved so much about this book. Lucy is not who you think of when you think of a hockey girlfriend - a blonde skinny model-like beauty. She's tattooed and pierced, and my poor girl had a bad childhood. But under her tough exterior, she has so much heart. She loves her friends. She loves her art. And despite her best efforts, she loves Jaylen.

This book made me feel so many emotions. There were parts that made me laugh so loud, my husband looked at me like I had two heads. Jaylen's vulnerability and eventual openness made me cry. I didn't expect to cry more at all while reading this book, let alone more than once.

The third act is resolved a bit too quickly, but I enjoyed seeing Lucy be the one to apologize. That was a turn I didn't expect.

This is a really fun debut novel. I can't wait to read what Dr. Lexi writes next!

I will readily admit, I think my review is a bit biased. A lifelong hockey fan and Lexi Brown fan since the days of JT playing in Syracuse (despite the fact that they were my own favorite team’s rival), this book simply being announced sent me through the roof with excitement. Slight bias aside, this book was a hockey fan, romance reader’s dream. Incorporating mental health awareness, LGBTQIA+ representation, and pop culture references were the cherries on top.

I love, love, loved this book and devoured it!! I know many others will love it, too.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Lexi for the ARC!!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Die hockey romance der Autorin, die auf Social Media bekannt ist, wirkte auf mich teils unterhaltsam und frisch. Teils trat die Geschichte meinem Empfinden nach aber etwas auf der Stelle und frustrierte mich sogar.

Das lag primär daran, dass man aus den Hauptcharakteren mehr hätte rausholen können und ich darüber beim Lesen der Liebesgeschichte immer mal wieder nachdenken musste.

Ich fand den Schreibstil angenehm und konnte mich gut auf ihn einlassen. Und ja, es gab in dem Buch auch so einige unterhaltsame sowie schöne Szenen. Doch so Sachen wie der unnötige und nervige third-act-breakup haben meine Bewertung spürbar nach unten gezogen.

Ich fand es zudem nicht überzeugend, wie die Heldin im dritten Drittel dargestellt wurde.

Insgesamt ließ sich der Roman gut lesen, aber sein ganzes Potential wurde meiner Meinung nach nicht genutzt.

🖤🖤🖤 1/2 (mit leichter Tendenz zu 3,25)

Für wen?

Wer locker geschriebene, eher kurzweilige hockey romances mag, für den könnte der Liebesroman einen Versuch wert sein.

This is an adorable, endearing lil romance. It’s super cute and I think it’s perfect for those who love sports romances, especially hockey romance. It definitely felt immersed ingest culture and the hockey world which was so fun.

Shoot Your Shot by Lexi LaFleur Brown was a fun one to read.

We start off the book meeting Lucy, a woman in her early 20s who has a terrible boss at a job she hopes is a stepping stone to a tattoo apprenticeship and who tells her cast of friends "I've got to stop getting involved with women named after American Girl dolls" by page 10. I'm in.

She meets Jaylen (JJ), a former first overall draft pick hockey player who has just learned he doesn't have a contract for the next year, and is spiraling about it. Their bar meeting is less of a meet cute, more of a collision and returning to the wreckage, but when JJ says he's only in Seattle until tomorrow, Lucy thinks she can take a short delay on her plan to swear off dating for the foreseeable future. A one-night stand with someone leaving town immediately can't derail her too much, right?

Of course, JJ ends up with a reason to stay in town, Lucy's terrible boss ends up sending her to the one place where she'll have to run into JJ, and even though there's conflict, their relationship develops over the course of the hockey season. With careers, family, and mental health as additional themes in the story, this feels more developed than many romance novels.

I really liked that Lucy feels like a fully formed person with relationships and interests that exist outside JJ. JJ also has his own personal concerns. They work through some of these challenges together, some individually, and as a result it feels like something that can last beyond the bounds of the story.

The third act storyline resolutions did feel a little bit rushed, but I liked that Lucy felt like the party more responsible for making amends between her and JJ in an unusual turn for the genre.

Overall, a really solid read with strong characters you want to see succeed (and not just in their relationship with each other).

Shoot Your Shot by Lexu LaFleur Brown
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

I was underwhelmed by this book and I'm not even positive why. Jaylen is a pro hockey player trying to get back on top after a couple of seasons of playing poorly. Lucy is an aspiring tattoo artist who can't seem to catch a break and get her career started. They hook up one night, thinking they'll never see each other again, but Jaylen unexpectedly ends up staying in town under a new contract.

Each time they see each other, he plays better and better- so he decides she's his good luck charm and tries to keep her around. Their relationship slowly morphs into friendship and then into something more.

Nothing wrong with the story or even the characters- they were more than just their relationship and had good personal development arcs... something about the writing style and pacing just didn't click for me, and I found myself reluctantly slogging through several sections.

As a hockey fan from Seattle, I devoured this book. I could really feel the emotional vulnerability and connection between Lucy and Jaylen. Their chemistry is palpable and their banter is laced with humor and charm. I loved the will they won’t they element and the ending had me giggling and kicking my feet. Their journey to understand either other’s passions and level of support shown to each other was heartwarming. Needless to say, I loved it. Love is real!

As a fan of romance books, specially hockey, I can say this one felt different. The author managed to take two characters who normally should not fit together and mesh their lives, their friends and their families into a beautiful story. Whether her next book is a continuation or completely out of the hockey world, I am excited to read it.

This was an enjoyable read. The main characters were surviving and not thriving when they met. Their journeys as a couple and individuals were an engaging good time. I look forward to reading more books by this author.


I voluntarily read an early copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🌶️🌶️

The blurb of this book drew me in right away! Hockey? Queer? Black cat/golden retriever????? Sign me the fuck up. I had such high hopes for this book and while it was great, it didn’t quite reach my expectations.

The story itself was my favorite thing. Two queer characters falling in love, despite each others flaws, and learning to love themselves? We root for that shit here.

The romance was romancing, the character growth was great, but there were some parts I was left a little bit…confused. There was one instance where it felt like the spice was there just for the sake of being there and didn’t add anything to the story.

The miscommunication between the main characters at roughly 85% in made me want to rip my hair out. Completely unnecessary.

Even though the characters were 25 years old, some of the writing made them seem very young and immature and that made it difficult to finish the book, but I pushed through.

All in all, the vibes were there, they were good, a fun time was had! I’d recommend it to friends who I know would like it!

Thank you to Canary Street Press for the ARC of this book 🫶🏻

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the early copy of Shoot Your Shot! This debut was a fun mix of humor, romance, and undeniable chemistry.
Jaylen and Lucy were a fantastic pair. Lucy’s confidence and sharp wit made her a standout, and I loved seeing Jaylen step up and prove himself to her. Their banter and growing connection felt natural and kept me engaged. Some parts dragged a bit, and I wanted more resolution on Lucy’s work situation, but overall, this was an enjoyable, steamy read that I’d definitely recommend to rom-com fans!

I know what your thinking another sports romance and a hockey one at that (shout out to the hockey queen Helena Hunting) - but this is a good one Jaylan I a hockey player who has been cut he can not get a contract he gets a call up to a team in Washington to play for a night then meets our MC that night then bam he gets a contract so now he thinks she's hit good luck charm - she's a talented artist who aspires to be a tattooist and has issues with abandonment from her dad- I did find her to be a bit whiny however I still liked it very much I was rooting for Jaylen to get over his demons and grow! Its definitely worth a read

4.5, i have been a follower of lexi’s for quite a while and was over the moon when i got my hands on an arc of this, i really adored jay and lucy’s story, they felt very raw and human in a way that some romance novels miss, i also appreciated the accuracy of the hockey part of this (everybody say thank you lexi’s awesome husband), overall would definitely recommend to all romance readers

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest feedback

A very entertaining hockey m/f romance! I liked both main characters, and that they had their own friends, ambitions, and interests. The Seattle setting and the hockey details were well done! I would have liked to see more of their character growth as well as their developing relationship, as after their first meeting, there were a few time skips or instances of telling us about their time together rather than showing us, and ultimately the declaration / realization of feelings felt a bit abrupt. Still, this book went down very easily - very readable and enjoyable! I would be interested to read more from this author.

I really enjoyed this debut novel! The characters felt like people that I know, and there were so many funny moments as well as mental health and family trauma representation that felt grounded. As someone who’s followed this author as she’s shares her life on TikTok, Lexi’s love and appreciation for her community and for hockey shines in this book. I’m excited to watch as she continues her writing journey and gets better and better!

Lisa Love once asked Lauren Conrad, “Can you write?” I thought the same thing when I started this book, and Lexi LaFleur Brown can! This was a very impressive first book! The storyline, romance, and hockey were all wonderfully detailed. This wasn’t just a good read, it was a great read. I can’t wait to see what Lexi comes up next!

I was super excited to read Shoot Your Shot after following Lexi LaFleur Brown on social media for a while! I love a hockey romance and I love a black cat/golden retriever duo.

Lucy and Jaylen meet in basically a drive-by on a night out and Lucy’s demeanor hooks Jaylen from the first moment he lays eyes on her. After spending the night together, through unforeseen circumstances, they end up seeing each other again.

It had all the tropes: hockey romance, black cat/golden retriever, he falls first, no feelings hookup, big gesture apology, etc.

I think this was a good debut novel. The syntax and diction were different than what I’ve read in the past so it left me a bit hesitant to give 5 stars. There were lots of similes used which felt a little juvenile, some of the sentence structure had me going back and rereading to understand what was going on, some hockey jargon was left unexplained, the FMC was described using the same words over and over (weird, bitchy, cool) and I felt that every once in a while a really obscure word was thrown in without much reason.

As for the plot, the beginning had a lot of potential. I thought it was just going to be a book of the MMC trying to win over the FMC so the good luck charm plot point was unexpected (props to the author). I felt like both the MCs family (minus Lucy’s dad) were sprinkled in for convenience or to explain away plot points or unnecessarily (Jaylens sisters, him having so many cousins, Lucy bringing home Jaylen just to explain her art but never mentioning her mom or brother ever again).

Overall, I would recommend this book anyone looking for a palate cleanser romance that’s a quick read but has a rich overall plot. I would rate it 1.5/5 for spice and 3/5 overall <3

I’ve been following Lexi on TikTok for a while, and love her hockey insider commentary. I was so excited when she announced she was going to write her own hockey book and enjoyed following along with the process. It was then even more exciting to get this advanced copy of the manuscript to review.

When Lucy meets Jaylen, he was supposed to be from out of town, but when she’s working to paint a mural at the arena, she discovers he’s playing for the Seattle Rainiers. Jaylen was indeed supposed to be on his way out of town, having lost his contract, but a last-minute spot opened on the team. While Lucy is finishing this project, she has to occasionally see him at work, but she doesn’t need to see him beyond that, except Jaylen is convinced she’s his good luck charm.

I really appreciated that both main characters were outside of the norm of the genre, with Jaylen being a Black player and Lucy being a queer woman who doesn’t fit the usual hockey rom-com physical mold. Their relationship also progressed in a unique way, as she was largely not interested in pursuing a relationship. A lot of this genre is cookie cutter, and it was great to see different representations in this book.